Federal officials seized parcels from China containing the counterfeit medication on three occasions, with the packets addressed to 39-year-old Nathan Welter, according to a statement released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The packages each were addressed to different locations in Orange County, according to the statement. Officials conducted chemical analysis of the tablets and found they contained ingredients different from the brand-name versions, the statement read. The brand-name medications all treat erectile dysfunction.

Welter was taken into custody Friday by officials from ICE as well as Homeland Security Investigations. He was charged in federal court Friday with eight counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released after posting a $50,000 bond.

According to the statement, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $2 million.

According to the federal complaint, Welter came under scrutiny in August 2011, when Customs and Border Protection officials seized parcels with counterfeit medication. In February 2012, more parcels addressed to Welter were seized.

"CBP warned Welter in March 2012 that counterfeit Viagra had been sent to him," the statement read.

In August, authorities seized eight more packages from China.

Homeland Security investigators searched Welter's home in September and found more than 9,000 counterfeit tablets, several phony medical labels and packaging materials, according to the statement. About $40,000 in cash also was seized.

Authorities estimate that the counterfeit tablets could have been sold for about $125,000.

Welter is suspected of selling the drugs in Craigslist ads and collecting thousands of dollars a month.

According to ICE officials, the sale of counterfeit products of all types is a lucrative black market. Last year, Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection seized more than $1.2 billion in counterfeit goods. In 2012, 697 websites were found selling the goods.

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